‘PDP-BJP Alliance In LC Polls Is Propaganda’

10 March 2009Greater Kashmir

Srinagar: The People’s Democratic Party on Tuesday termed as propaganda the statements of former chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah and union minister for water resources Prof Saifuddin Soz that the PDP joined hands with pro-Hindutva Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to defeat a coalition candidate in the Legislative Council elections. Abdullah and Soz had termed as “rank opportunism” the PDP-BJP understanding on supporting a candidate of the Panther’s Party that has only three MLAs in the assembly, and would have found impossible to win without the support of 31 opposition members who voted for him. A spokesman of the PDP said “it was pure propaganda by the National Conference and Congress.” “Had PDP joined hands with the BJP in recent elections to the Legislative Council, it would have been a candidate from the PDP or BJP who would have won and not someone from Panthers Party,” the spokesman said. While Soz said the PDP-BJP accord during the polls was “a face of extreme political opportunism”, Farooq Abdullah had termed it “unholy alliance to deceit people.” The PDP spokesman said Dr Abdullah’s “links with the NDA continue to flourish even today.” “How was it that Dr. Farooq and Muhammad Shafi Uri got more votes in the recent Rajya Sabha polls than the Coalition had allotted to them. Farooq had begged BJP leaders L K Advani, Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley to have one of the BJP members in the state Legislative Assembly vote for him to make him secure. Similarly JKNPP member had voted for Mohammad Shafi,” he added. The spokesman said that the elections to the Jammu Municipal Corporation “provide even more evidence of an active alliance between the BJP and NC.” “How is it that BJP, being in minority in the JMC, and NC having just six members got their candidates elected as the Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively?” the spokesman asked. The spokesman said, “Farooq Abdullah’s sermons are generally amusing but he should try to understand that he has no moral authority to question the PDP’s decision to support JKNPP which was a partner in the previous coalition headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.” The spokesman accused NC of trading the autonomy of the state for power.